Bill Graham

Rolling Stone Names the Fillmore the No. 2 "Big Room" in America

Damn fucking straight. Weeks after Rolling Stone embarked on the mother of all music clickbait projects with a five-part series about the best venues in the U.S. -- and named S.F.'s Great American Music Hall the No. 6 club in the country -- our fair City by the Bay has been handed another honor. In ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Burn Through Quiet at Bill Graham Civic, 4/9/13

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Sharon Van Etten Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Tuesday, April 9, 2013 Better than: Getting murdered and/or sodomized by Stagger Lee, we're assuming. Are there bad Nick Cave shows? We can't imagine what one would be like. What if there are only Nick Cave shows where your ... More >>

This Ain't No Disco: How Swedish House Mafia Brought EDM to America

This Ain't No Disco

Swedish House Mafia remade rave music in rock's image — and got America listening.

Fauxchella: Your Guide to Enjoying Coachella 2013 in the Bay Area

The 2013 Coachella lineup has been announced and the Tumblrs expressing confusion as to its contents have already launched. But before you go scrambling for those pricey tickets, remember this: Lots of these artists end up playing in the Bay Area right around the same time, especially now that Coach ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

The Smashing Pumpkins Give Glimpses of the Past at Bill Graham Civic, 10/12/12

By RACHEL SWAN Smashing Pumpkins Anberlin Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Better than: Revisiting an eighth grade dance in a Siamese Dream T-Shirt. Billy Corgan has grown bulkier in the two decades since Smashing Pumpkins first rose to national prominence. His voice has coarsen ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Live Photos, 7/28/12: Kaskade Electrifies Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Kaskade Saturday, July 28, 2012 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium After a historic, sold-out show at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Friday, DJ/producer Kaskade bought his Fire and Ice tour to San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for another crazy show. SF Weekly photographer Jessica Christian wa ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Weekend Parties: Laurent Garnier, Octave One, Steve Aoki, and More

There's so much going on in San Francisco these days that it can sometimes be hard to keep track of it all. This weekend is no exception, with a whole crop of alluring events. We've got a big party tonight (Jan. 19) featuring French techno mastermind Laurent Garnier, a performance on Friday by class ... More >>

In The Soul Kitchen's DJ Harry Duncan on Working With Bill Graham, His Show at Amoeba, and the Battle to Save KUSF

Harry Duncan has filled a lot of roles in his 61 years: Independent producer of black music for Bill Graham Presents; manager of artists like the Meters and Ornette Coleman, to name just a couple; original talent buyer at Slim's; and, currently, a consultant at Bimbo's 365 Club. Just a year ago, y ... More >>

Turkey or Salmon: The Last Waltz at Winterland, Thanksgiving 1976

In 1976, the band known as The Band decided to call it quits. Its recent albums hadn't been selling so well, the members were tired of touring, leader Robbie Robertson had (allegedly) turned into a major twit, and it would be a couple of decades before their hit "The Weight" would be used in the tra ... More >>

How To Beat Boredom While Waiting in Line for a Show

The dreaded show line: Sometimes it's just an unavoidable and inevitable part of concert-going. Even for those of us who usually simply walk away from bars and clubs that have lines in favor of places that don't involve standing outside feeling stupid, gigs have a tendency to force us all into organ ... More >>

Soundgarden Stomps Straight from the '90s into Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Richard HaickSoundgarden at Bill Graham Civic last night.​ Soundgarden July 22, 2011 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Better than: Any food item you've stashed away since the '90s Soundgarden didn't experiment or branch out in any way in its first visit to San Francisco in 15 years: no ballads, ... More >>

Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae Get Bill Graham Bumpin' (Photos)

Calibree PhotographyBruno Mars last night in S.F.​ Bruno Mars Janelle Monae Mayer Hawthorne Bill Graham Civic Auditorium June 8, 2011 It was just like the Grammys -- well, almost. Rising R&B royals Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae took over Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last night for a look at th ... More >>

Soundgarden's Reunion Tour Will Deafen San Francisco This July

Raise your hand if you miss the real '90s. ​ Short of a zombified Kurt Cobain rising from the grave in Lolita shades to sing "Heart Shaped Box" to a bunch of kids raised on Miley Cyrus and sexting, we're pretty sure this '90s revival thing has now gotten as crazy-ridiculous as it can get: Lad ... More >>

Janet Jackson Delivers the Hits -- All of Them? -- to Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Richard HaickJanet Jackson at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last night.​ Janet Jackson April 19, 2011 @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Better than: What you probably remember of the late '80s and early '90s. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a Jackson in the house. She can sing (although her thinn ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Britney Spears Cancels Castro Concert

She doens't like the rain ​Britney Spears has reportedly decided not to perform her outdoor concert this weekend in the  Castro because of the expected rain, according to SFist. Well, she doesn't want to get her hair wet.SFist is reporting that the pop princess today scrapped plans to stage h ... More >>

Britney Spears in San Francisco: Now at Bill Graham Sunday at Noon, Baby

Britney likes it inside.​So, so sad that Britney Spears won't be performing outdoors this Sunday in the Castro -- eff you, stupid Spring rain -- but at least we can still see the girl onstage in S.F. this weekend. We're so excited. (Read that sentence again with max sarcasm.) Due to inclement weat ... More >>

Sold, Soul, Rock, Roll

Illustrious S.F. Rock Photographer Profoundly -- and Profanely -- Glad to Settle Lawsuit Over Million-Dollar Archive

Late last month, we wrote about how San Francisco photographer Jim Marshall -- whose cry of "Hey, Johnny, how 'bout one for the warden?" resulted in the above iconic shot of the Man in Black -- filed suit in S.F. federal court against Bill Graham Archives to recover 656 of his prints of rock and jaz ... More >>

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll -- and It's MINE. S.F. Photographer Sues Bill Graham Archives to Get Back His Famed Shots

San Francisco photographer Jim Marshall, who snapped this iconic shot of Johnny Cash, has fired off the legal equivalent of the Man In Black's one-finger salute to the owner of Bill Graham Archives.After a man's shot his thousandth musician, you'd figure he'd see some time in court. That's the case ... More >>

Herbert Gold, still alive and still cranky

Obama Brings 'Countdown To Change' To Googleplex, Bill Graham Next Week

Damn, Tool at Bill Graham Sold Out!

The Mars Volta Announces New Year's Show in SF, New Album

LastNight: Interpol at Bill Graham Civic Center

WBC Muay Thai: Now Throwing 'Bows in SF

Brian Jonestown Massacre Gripes

Melodic grandstanding from our boisterous buddies in Muse

Shed excess pop with OK Go's power calisthenics

Beautiful world: Devo and Bow Wow Wow

Best Classic Music Venues

Together at Last

Pizza combines with Indian food to form a more perfect union

The War on Raves

Forget terrorists; let's fight the dancers

Pop Philosophy

Channeling stupidity, and exploding nicely

Tapped Out

There're not enough buglers and honor guards to keep pace with dying vets

Hear This

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Noisemakers

Riff Raff

Riff Raff

Letters

Riff Raff

An Open Booking

Local promoters coordinate their efforts, to everyone's benefit